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‘Sorry, can’t land  it’s been raining’

An EasyJet pilot allegedly told passengers it was unsafe to land at Bristol airport because the weather was too wet - reviving concerns that the airport's temporary surface is a potential hazard.

Laurence Robertson, the MP for Tewkesbury, was a passenger on the Belfast-to-Bristol flight. He claimed that the pilot made the extraordinary announcement after aborting his approach.

"The captain said, 'You've obviously heard about the difficulties they've had in Bristol. We've been advised it wouldn't be safe to land if it's too wet, and as there's been a heavy downpour, we can't land just yet as we have to wait for the runway to dry off,' " recounted Mr Robertson. "I thought, why are they actually using this runway if they are admitting that on occasions it's not safe? Incredible."

Other pilots interviewed by The Sunday Times have expressed concern over conditions at Bristol. "It's always a tricky approach when there